Payson Roundup

Photo courtesy of FoodieView

Danger Dogs might be called hot dogs that bite back. Two of the essential ingredients are onions and jalapeno peppers.

Food and football go hand in hand, and the Super Bowl is about far more than men drinking beer, grazing on chips and dip and screaming obscenities at the TV screen. Kickoffs, classic commercials, gridiron greatness and instant replays — the Super Bowl is upon us, which translates into one trying task for party planners everywhere — the ultimate game day gathering.

Household hosts will tackle a variety of duties to match the spirit of fellow fans with an excellent “Bowl Bash.” The biggest obstacle for most: the food lineup. Hosts need party dishes that are finger-friendly, universally appealing and ideal for groups.

Here are six vital tips to add to your party planning playbook:

• Chart Out Your Game Plan: Before heading to the grocery store, plan your menu and make a list. Be sure to shop early so you don’t get tackled by last-minute shoppers in the aisles or shutout of great selections.

• Stock Your Roster With Reserves: Game day parties bring hungry crowds, so when planning for food quantities, think big. To avoid a rush of fourth quarter food frenzies, consider preparing dishes that you don’t bring out until half time.

• Decorate Your Sidelines: Decorate the area around the television with football posters and pennants of your favorite team. Use green turf to decorate tables where food will be displayed.

• Be Replay Ready: Set up your DVR or TiVo the night before the big game so you can be sure to capture close calls and commercials for a second look or laugh.

• Warm Up: Prepare the night before so you don’t have to miss the pre-game action. Make prepare-ahead recipes, which can be finished right before guests arrive (many bowl dip ideas are ideal for this).

• Research Options: There are a wealth of Web sites to get dip and other recipe ideas.

One of these options is FoodieView — a leading food portal giving users direct, one-click access to the Internet’s largest selection of football friendly recipes, nearly 5,000, which are sure to score major points with party guests.

A sample of some of the site’s recipes are offered here.

We tend to think of the hot dog as a quintessentially American food, but this fiendishly delicious variation comes via our neighbors south of the border. The Danger Dog is a hot dog wrapped in bacon and served with grilled onions and peppers. Street vendors in Mexico have been serving these treats for years, and now bacon-wrapped hot dogs have made their way north to California and New York, where they have become a favorite post-barhopping snack.

We’re not sure if the Danger Dog got its perilous name from its artery-clogging nature or the questionable sanitation standards of their vendors. Whatever the reason, this bit of bacony goodness makes for serious man food on the big game day. And the best part is that it’s really quick and easy to make.

Danger Dogs

(Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs)

A FoodieView Original Recipe by Howie Wang, founder

Ingredients

8 hot dogs

8 hot dog buns

8 strips of bacon

1 large onion, sliced

3 to 4 jalapenos, seeded and sliced

2 tablespoons oil

Mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard (optional)

1. Cut the onion into slices.

2. Cut the jalapenos in half, remove the seeds, and then slice them lengthwise into 1/8-inch wide strips.

3. Wrap a strip of bacon tightly around each hot dog.

4. Heat oil over medium high heat in a large pan. Add the onions and peppers, but keep the onions and peppers separate from each other. Cook them until soft and a little brown (about 12 minutes).

5. Meanwhile, cook the bacon-wrapped hot dogs in another pan over medium heat. Turn the hot dogs occasionally until the bacon is crisp on all sides (about 12 minutes).

6. After the hot dogs are cooked, just stick them in a bun and top them with the sautéed onions and peppers to taste. You can add ketchup or mustard, but the traditional condiment is mayo.

Makes 8 servings

Have you ever wanted the taste of buffalo chicken wings, but didn’t want to go through the hassle of frying up your own wings? Then this recipe is for you. This dip has the creamy, tangy, spicy flavors of buffalo chicken, and it only takes a few minutes to make. It’s also versatile; you can dress it up by substituting shrimp or crab for the chicken and serve it with Belgian endive spears.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

A FoodieView Original Recipe by Howie Wang, founder

Ingredients

12 ounces cooked chicken breast

2, 8-ounce packages of cream cheese

1 cup ranch dressing

1 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

1-1/2 cups of cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Chop the chicken breast into small pieces.

2. Put all ingredients into a large saucepan and warm over medium-low heat. Stir until the cream cheese has fully melted.

3. Serve with chips, crackers, celery sticks, carrot sticks, or other vegetables good for dipping.

This simple recipe is a perfect for throwing together on game day. You just mix all the ingredients together and pop it in the oven while you enjoy the game. I don’t know of any recipe that pays off so much for so little effort. It’s so addictively good that my guests always hover over the bowl until all the kielbasa is gone.

Sweet Kielbasa Bites

A FoodieView Original Recipe by Howie Wang, founder

Ingredients

2 pounds kielbasa

1, 16-ounce box of brown sugar

6 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 small onion, finely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2. Cut the kielbasa into bite-size pieces.

3. Put all ingredients into a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking pan and mix them together.

4. Place the baking pan into the oven. Stir the kielbasa every half hour or so. Remove it after baking for 2 hours.

5. Serve with toothpicks.

For more recipes simply visit www.FoodieView.com and type “football” into the search field that’s front and center on the home page, click “search” and viola - you will find thousands of recipes sure to make your Super Bowl soirée more satisfying.

Since 2005, FoodieView has made it easy to find good food fast on the Web. Instead of visiting individual sites to search for recipes one by one, through FoodieView’s convenient “meta” recipe search engine you can quickly search all of those recipe databases simultaneously from one single search tool. The recipe search results are then sorted both by relevance and user rating, making it effortless to find the most popular, promising recipes. You can also keep track of your favorite recipe links using FoodieView’s free recipe box tool.

Another solution for the food fest accompanying Super Bowl viewing: bowl dips. To help you plan a great bash, King’s Hawaiian has developed a variety of bread bowl dip recipes - from hearty to light. These bread bowl recipes will add distinctive flavor to Bowl Bash plans. For more recipe ideas, visit kingshawaiian.com.

Simple and Savory Healthy Veggie Dip

2, 16-ounce loaves King’s Hawaiian Sweet Bread

2, 8-ounce containers plain yogurt (Greek style preferred)

1, 2.4-ounce package vegetable soup mix

Vegetable medley cut for dipping (carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, jicama, broccoli, etc.)

Carve out center core of one loaf of bread within two inches of bottom and sides, keeping bread intact.

Cut reserved bread and other loaf into 1-inch cubes for dipping.

Place 1-3/4 cups yogurt into a bowl and add dry soup mix. Stir.

Add more yogurt to taste.

Pour into hollowed out loaf.

Serve with vegetables and additional pieces of bread cubes for dipping.

Hearty Cajun Andouille Sausage Dip

2, 16-ounce loaves King’s Hawaiian Sweet Bread

8 ounces Velveeta, cut into smaller blocks

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

12 ounces Cajun-style Andouille smoked pork sausage, cut into small pieces

3/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

Carve out center core of one loaf of bread within two inches of bottom and sides, keeping bread intact.

Cut reserved bread and other loaf into 1-inch cubes for dipping.

Place sausage pieces into large frying pan and sauté until cooked thoroughly.

Add cheese and cream cheese and stir until melted.

Add Cajun seasoning; adjust to taste.

Pour into hollowed out loaf.

Serve with celery sticks, additional pieces of bread cut into cubes for dipping.

Serve with a spoon or knife to help spread this hearty dip.

Courtesy of Family Features Sources: King’s Hawaiian